


Expect the Unexpected

by Rookie_SM



Series: The End to All Her Beginnings [2]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: BAMF Tony Stark, BAMF Women, F/M, Female Tony Stark, M/M, Multi, Pining Bucky Barnes, Slow Burn, Time Travel, Topping from the Bottom, Young Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-05 16:04:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14622177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rookie_SM/pseuds/Rookie_SM
Summary: Toni really didn’t know what to expect. Hell—she should be surprised, she knew; but she was never the type that followed the stereotypes.She expected it. One of these days, Death would come knocking for her. She just didn’t expect Hell to be designed as the late ‘40s, and that she woke up to the blue eyes that had killed her parents—except they looked much younger, and didn’t remember her at all.Toni didn’t know what to expect but she wasn't called Natasha “Toni” Stark just for fun. So here she is doing the dirty work of catching up and trying not to stamp Rogers face.





	Expect the Unexpected

**Author's Note:**

> My mistakes are running through my mind  
> And I'll relive my days, in the middle of the night  
> When I wrestle with my pain, struggle with my pride  
> Sometimes I feel alone, and I cry  
> When I don't fit in and I don't feel like I belong anywhere  
> When I don't measure up to much in this life
> 
> (Forgiven- Sanctus Real)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni really didn’t know what to expect. Hell—she should be surprised, she knew; but she was never the type that followed the stereotypes.
> 
> She expected it. One of these days, Death would come knocking for her. She just didn’t expect Hell to be designed as the late ‘40s, and that she woke up to the blue eyes that had killed her parents—except they looked much younger, and didn’t remember her at all.
> 
> Toni didn't know what to expect but she wasn't called Natasha “Toni” Stark just for fun. So here she is doing the dirty work of catching up and trying not to stamp Rogers face.

Toni knows that she isn’t the fucking perfect picture of good—quite far from it, in fact—but that doesn't give anyone the right to kill her like this. 

 

It was a peaceful afternoon—believe it or not. She had just gone from Stark Towers, fully intending to eat the next best thing she could get her hands on, in this case a donut. She could have gotten it delivered upto her penthouse, but she had just been working hours on a new type of technology that would sure enhance the standing the Stark was already holding, and she hadn’t gotten the time to get up and go around for three days straight.

 

Holy _shit,_ she had been awake for seventy two hours straight—no wonder Pepper, that sweet darling, had phoned in to threaten her assets if she had not made her way down to her kitchen or the small resturant up front for a small breakfast. 

 

It was still very new to her. This whole friend thing, and that some humans are there that don’t want something from her. Toni never had that since she was young; since people had figured out her last name and looked once over her like she was some kind of slut, _a disgrace—her mind spat out,_ some kind of special fish in an aquarium for all of them to see, a girl—a _female, her brain supplied helpfully._ She still had trouble trusting Pepper with most things but over all, Toni thought it was progress.

 

_(You useless brat, get out! Get out of this fucking lab—this ain’t know place for girls. They don’t know anything! Get out and leave that circuit here. Now.)_

 

And sure, she did have human contact—Rhodey would be sure to never look at her again if she didn’t call him her friend—and it was great. But she had never really had a _Pepper_ and she felt like the world was missing out on it too. 

 

_(“You changed fucking Physics man! You literally designed the whole thing from scratch to fit the structure of the electromagnet, right man?” a man had laughed, clapping Howard on his back, “You’re a fucking genius!”)_

 

Not to say Rhodey wasn’t enough ‘cause if her first friend isn’t enough, then who really is? She’s grateful that he stuck to her for so long—but she was sure that if given the chance that she wouldn’t hate him, he would leave her in a heart beat.

 

( _She could never hate him, but she was too selfish to tell him that.)_

 

She meantally snorted at Pepper’s look if she found out what Toni was thinking. She shuddered and had got several weird looks from the passers-by. She was sure there would be a tabloid the next day about _The Former Merchant of Death Shudders as she walks in New York; Is There A Scandal we should be knowing about?_

 

She quickly smoothens her face over and briefly looks up at the Stark Tower she can see even from this distance. She had decided to walk and stare up at the streets and it’s people. There were lots to be learned from the simple art of observing. And no matter what anyone said—no matter what _Steve_ _(You’ll never be enough. You are a disappointment. Why were you born as a girl? Find Captain America, it’s something even you can be useful for.) Rogers_ had said—there was more to her behind that armour. 

 

_(“Come little girly,” the man, a fourty year old, grimy with calloused palms and claw-like marks dragged on his face, “we sure lucked out, man. Thank god Stark produced a girl. Otherwise—_

_The man never got to complete his sentence before a small hand, the owner barely reaching his knee, jerked on his back and pressed the small pressure point on his neck. It was angled deadly, precise and neat. No blood and no collateral damage. The last thing the man remembered was a whisper of,_

_”Never underestimate Stark women; we’re made out of steel.”)_

 

She scanned the street for any suspicious activity. Even if she was not in the Iron (Wo)Man suit, there were some things even a civilian Natasha Stark could fix. 

 

_(You are nothing! You hear me, nothing! A girl could never survive in a world like this! At least find a good man so I can marry you off to sit still and look pretty.)_

 

There wasn’t anything going on, not at the moment, so she easily swept with the crowd and landed herself in _Holier,_ her favorite shop at the moment and nestled down into one of the finer booths. 

 

She caught a waiter and gestured him closer. Toni looked at him a little closer. A good looking fellow, a little bit shy going by the small blush that lit up his face when he saw her, who looked decades too young for her to hit on but that never stopped her from trying.

 

”Hey, buttercup, mind getting me one _Sugary Delight_ with a black coffee; no sugar.” The words were rehearsed, she knew them with her heart closed. It was a long time since she visited this place but it was a regular that she had visited with Rhodey when he came back from the air force so she knew everything like the back of her hand.

 

The boy blushed again and this time to the tips of his years. _And if it wasn’t for the self control Toni jad learned over the years, she would have taken him right there and right then._

 

The neighboring waitresses smiled at her and waved. Some were new and some were not but they knew her and she made the effort to at least politely wave. 

 

With nothing to do, she took out her phone and started skimming through the little blueprints which were scanned on to her phone. She looked for the minor errors she could have overlooked and the tiniest details that she sometimes missed. She would have gone for a little bit longer but she heard a commotion outside, so she temporarily stood up and made her way outside.

 

What was outside made her skin crawl and toes curl. But still she screamed onto the ear piece that she never left without, “Friday, baby girl, do you have a reading?”

 

 _(“Stark men don’t cry,” he had once told her, “they don’t get scared either. S_ _o if you want to do a men’s job—become a man_.)

 

”No, Ms. Stark. The cameras near the place have been all shut down and not by a computer either so I can’t hack them. But I do have some cameras I can reach near the same street. Should I pull them up?” 

 

Toni just nods her head and signals her to hurry up. However, she can’t be mean to Friday so she bites out a hurried note _A little more faster, buttercup,_ and just waits.

 

The reactor on her chest already glowing brightly as if it was some device that wasn’t permanently etched on her skin keeping her alive. The suit that was with her all the time was still inside the resturant so she made a quick run inside and smiled reassuringly at the people. She grabbed the suit and ran back outside.

 

Before she could make quick use of it, however, the world goes _boom!_  There are several cries uttered at the background and not for the first time Toni finds herself helpless among the throngs of people that need to be saved. 

 

But she doesn’t give up. No, even when her vision turns dark and there is a blindly light and everything’s mushy and going crazy in her head. No, not even when the buzzing sound in her ear is growing so loud that she can’t hear anything else. No, she doesn’t cry, scream or utter a word for help.

 

One, because she knows no one would come. No matter who denies it, no matter how much they try to hide it—Toni wasn’t their first choice, never would be, at all. It was clearly shown by Steve who didn’t even have to think about it before going to kill Toni in _Siberia._

 

_(“Sorry, Stark, but he’s my friend.”_

_”So was I.”)_

 

The second was that she was a Stark. And Stark women were made out of steel. They would never bend, never yield and somehow they were more frightening than the men. 

 

_Stark women never cried; never screamed for help. Because they knew; knew that no one would come._

 

* * *

He crushed the letter in between his fingers. His hands weren’t big or bulky like some of the soldiers that he had seen parading around the town. No, they were filled with callouses, that were proof of his hard work. They would never be soft, he realised quite early. _They would never be enough to hold the delicate arm of a dame and help him court her._

 

But that was proof that he worked till his hands bled. He was no book learner; that was Steve, but he was a built man who could carry more than his shoulders allow and somehow, that was enough for him.

 

But this letter, now crushed inside his palm turned that unyielding arm into a machine of death. It turned him into a machine that would bleed and smile. And he didn’t know what to make out of it.

 

_Bucky Barnes,_

_This letter is to inform you that after several considerations and multiple bouts of questioning, we have decided to pick you for the front-line army. Your physique and certain abilities were brought to light in the previous examination and we decided you would be a great asset to have on our side. You would be send to boot-camp and be given the necessary training that you would desire and I’m sure you would be honored to work with us._

_Military Sergeant,_

_Décoluv Oprehew._

Bucky somehow knew that this was going to come. He had hoped it wouldn't, but he knew nothing could stop this piece of paper from inevitably reaching his front door. He thought he had been ready to fact the consequences but now, he realized he was only fooling himself. He wished, he hoped but he knew. 

 

_That was the most saddest part._

 

Unlike Steve, he was human. Sure, the whiny little scrawny ass could barely lift a hand and give a punch, but inside him--with all the might of a tiger and the ferocity of a lion--he was  _the_ _indestructible,_ some superhuman. Someone without the limitations of what it meant to be human. He wasn't afraid, when was he ever. He was stubborn to a fault and he was brave; so brave, that when Bucky stood next to him he felt so small--such a coward, huh? Your best friend, Steve--and he knew that Steve wouldn't judge him, no, he was too good to him to do that, but it still didn't help Bucky; he felt so inadequate next to him. And normally people would think Steve would be the jealous one but Bucky knew that only his body was the good thing about him. 

 

Steve was a hero. He would be hero and no one could stop him; no one should try. 

 

Bucky felt the tears in his tear ducts and he had the urge to suddenly rip them off and throw his eye balls into the river next to him. He was annoyed, ashamed and embarrassed.  _Fuck,_ if anyone saw him like this? A dame? A man, a soldier? He quickly wiped the tears that would no doubt have fallen if his actions were a little late. He let out a small hysterical laugh.  _Fuck, man._

 

"I don't want to,  _I don't want to."_ He said the latter part to himself, quietly. He was sure there was no one by the canopy that over-looked the small house next to the grounds. He was sure that no one lived there, and if anyone had--the man had died early in the war and had no one to take care of those fields. He contemplated going home and making a quick lunch. No matter if anyone said only  _dames_ cook, he had learned to not try and rely on others when it came to his food and so he learned the art of cooking. He wasn't a master, he was still learning. 

 

His red-trimmed eyes quickly caught some movement in the house near the canopy and he squinted in suspicion.  _What the hell? Was anyone there? What's happening?_

 

A small creak had made his way onto his ears and had been vibrating annoyingly. He twitched. 

 

Bucky got up and followed the small road in the middle of the luscious trees and bushes. It was still developing so it was bumpy with the concrete not full on the pavements and long paths. He didn't let that deter him. He was after all wearing the same shoes Steve was wearing. If he could do it, so could he. 

 

As he made his way to the door, he realized on normal days, it hadn't been locked. There was no lock present and when he had twisted the door knob, it would give a relatively loud creak but it would open. However, now as he reached to twist it, he realized it wouldn't budge. He furrowed his eyebrows but took a second look at it. It looked like Australian Buloke. It was really strong and his face soon mirrored frustration. He stopped pushing to catch his breath. 

 

By now the tears that were threatening to fall out had stopped and he was soon breathing really hard. The creaks that were there before had stopped and he was facing utter silence. The frustration of not opening  _a fucking door,_ was getting to him. 

 

_Wow, James Barnes, can't even open a door, huh? Wonder what they saw in you._

 

Sure he was a three time boxing champion, and he was good with his hands but couldn't they see that he would rather run than fight. He didn't really want to go saving the world--not like Steve or all the other brave soldiers. He wasn't brave--he was a coward who yearned for life, who yearned for something better and if only he had been given it. 

 

"Well, this has me thinking twice about the pretty boys in this area," that was the only thing he heard before his face was connected onto the dry wood on the floor and his arms were pinned on both sides. "But you look good like this, so I think I might keep you." The voice sounded mocking and Bucky was so startled and surprised by how he ended up here, he barely thought about how the voice that was behind him was of a dame's. 

 

At one moment, he was heaving his breath and the other moment there was someone twisting his right arm, kicking his knees with such strength to send him buckling to the ground and a butterfly kick, spun so spectacularly that he was in awe of the martial artist. They were talented, so talented that Bucky knew even if a gang of buckling soldiers were here, they would defeat them. It was done so smoothly and gracefully; almost like a dance that the small scenes he saw made him glaze over and think twice about them. 

 

He gulped when he heard the sultry voice of the fellow  _dame_ and he flushed to the tips of his ears. He was red and weirdly turned on but he quickly willed his boner down. "Now's not the time." He was still shocked that a dame, a woman had managed to compromise him but soon shook himself out of the thought. He had seen his Ma defeat three guys who were twice her size; what had he been expecting?

 

He calmed himself down with talks of  _Dude, you are Bucky Barnes, you are the lady expert. The sweet-talker who could get anyone into bed. What is this dame going to do?_

 

And he knew that although this dame was flexible and a fucking master at martial arts, she would not have the strength to defeat him if they switched positions. 

 

So using the element of surprise, he flipped her over.

 

* * *

 

 

She hadn't expected that. But she was used to it; she didn't expect a lot of things. That's why she was so good in improvising. She could make speeches that could move continents to tears, manipulate villains into doing the right thing, sweet talk officials and form battle plans on the fly. That was her job and no one could say that she wasn't good at it.

 

It was clear that the man now holding her arms above her didn't expect her to be strong like most men in this era, so when she kicked his stomach--in between his manhood and v-line--and flipped them over, it wasn't surprising that his eyes widened but it was kind of insulting. 

 

She was a martial artist, sure but she had some other things in her forte too. When she was on the team, Natasha and her--the only women on the team--had bonded over training sessions upon training sessions. Both were excellent specialists and Toni knew that there was something special that they shared. Even now, when Natasha's betrayal had stung, and fresh of the palm of her hand, they still kept in contact. Perhaps, it's because Natasha pitied her or it was because she liked her. Toni didn't know. But those nights and early mornings when both were awake and complaining about the team and it's misogyny and how Rogers was too over-protective, Bruce was too messy, Thor had no decency and how Barton was too affectionate--though this was only to Natasha but she was kind of oblivious--and spoiled them with food, not taking to consideration about their shape or anything. 

 

There was a bond and whether or not any of them admitted it, it was special.

 

But practicing with Natasha helped a little. It took away the feeling of uselessness. ( _No matter what Rogers said--she was never useless. He wasn't bothered to look under the armor because she wasn't bother to show him.)_ It was a beautiful thing, Natasha and Toni's spars. They were a battle of wit and gracefulness. Barton had come to their spars and wolf-whistled while Natasha hid her blush. They were both so cute; Toni knew never to mention it though. However, those battles made her analyze something. She was quite strong. Her biceps were built and her hips were steel, (She could even beat Rhodey and even Rogers if she wanted in an arm wrestle). Natasha had her flexibility cut out for her but her main weakness had been the lack of power in her strikes; nonetheless, losing none of it's lethality. So Toni did what she did best, she broke it down and exploited her weakness so thoroughly that Natasha was losing their spars. 

 

She was awesome like that. 

 

She had then put on weights on her hips, ankles, thighs and biceps to make sure that she always kept up with her exercises. And if lifting metal engines, unloading metal alloys and killing bad guys didn't help the work out, she didn't know what did. 

 

So, it wasn't a surprise when she flipped the man on his back and turned him to face her. It was unexpected for him, so it was understandable that his eyes widened and he looked quite shocked but it was disheartening to know where females stand in the 40s. She wasn't that upset about it but it annoyed her and the irritation must have showed on her face because the man backed out a bit. 

 

"Well, it seems like the pretty fella didn't expect that," she crooned at his face. She was mocking him, waiting to see how he would react. The only thing he did was widened his eyes. It seemed like he was going to say something before but then he was open mouthed and gaping. At that a small smirk came up her face. Hell, she was an attractive women and this man was not immune to her good looks. She looked over him; blue eyed, high cheek-bones and a nice strong jaw. He was muscular, his back muscles and arms clearly defined and that made pride blossom in her chest. 

 

( _Useless, I tell you. You wouldn't last a day in my time. You would go crying to your mother, or probably the orphanage 'cos they wouldn't want you. You'd probably be whining to you husband about what dress you were going to wear. You useless, insolent girl!)_

 

She had been here for about three weeks already and she could say he was the most attractive person she had seen till now. Well, her opinion was pretty valid because just after she landed in the middle of the 1940's agency (she was still unsure what the name was) and had been queried about who and why she was here (which she replied as just an adventure for art), she had been walking down the training grounds; hoping herself to do some training, before she had encountered all the bluenose men surrounding the army. They were pretty good looking, she could admit--and once upon a time, she wouldn't have minded getting into bed and fucking one of those fuckers--unfortunately, they had but whistled a  _supposedly_ seductive tone and looked over her once, and like she was an object, they wanted to proceed unwrapping her. She barely held in a snarl and the urge to beat these men. 

 

"Well, look at that--what's the pretty dame doing in a place like this?" they had crowded over her. Six of them, all bulky and with a lot of scars on their faces and hands, "If you want we'll show you a good time." She just grumbled out a  _no thanks_ and politely side-stepped them, in an attempt to not give into using her violent tendencies which urged her to punch these guys until they were bleeding in the ground underneath her. 

 

"Oh, the pretty dame thinks she has a choice, does she?" the men let out mocking laughs and she snarled this time out. "Oh, a feisty one. It'll be much better to take her now." And the next thing you know she's busting out her moves: the roundhouse kick--low, middle and high consecutively--followed by three punches to the three men on the side--an uppercut to the one who insulted her, a hook to the one who laughed and two straight jabs to the man who stood there--which temporarily incapacitated them, she turns to the two men in front of her and strikes in a jab at a pressure point between the chest and the neck where the trachea resides and they loose consciousness. The other man who thought he was being sneaky manages to twist her arm but she doesn't scream, she just twists it back--gracefully slipping under his thick arms and flips him. 

 

She doesn't get the chance to relinquish in the victory when a man just barges in and drags her back to the head quarters. They end up giving her a job, after asking her if she has one. Of course, coming from 2017, she just shook her head. They asked her what skills she had. Of course being Natasha Toni Stark, she did a bit of showing off--twisting a man who was insulting her and making him kneel beneath her (she was quite sadistic) and also making a small sharpener with smoother mechanics, could also hold a cup, and was very portable out of the materials that were there on the man's desk. 

 

She proceeded to smirk and lifted her chin to defying stare and glared at each and everyone of them. Later, she learned the man who had dragged him was Kenneth 'Ken' Jones, and he was a soldier in training, right under the Colonel Philips, who when she saw him, just lifted up his chin and smirked, told her to get her soldier gear because she was going to rule the camp now. She smiled, and said, "At least someone here is smart." 

 

They shared a cunning smirk, and Toni knew that they were both planning on the easy way to take each other out; till now, the only two things Toni could see as weaknesses was that he seemed to favor his left hand and he was slower than her. 

 

Now, she had a job and this old house for her accommodations--the base had given it to her--only to find this beautiful man trying to break in. She just knew she was going to have fun.

 

It was a good way to forget what she was here for. That she hadn't meant to be here and that there was no probable way to get back to her time. The loss of Rhodey and Pepper, Vision and even Natasha's letters weighed heavily on her mind. She didn't want to admit but the frustration over her situation was what had led her to beat up those men. Usually, she had better control. 

 

She licked her lips, and she could see the man gulping, lowly. 

 

She smirked again.  _"Let's have some fun, shall we?_  '

 

* * *

 

When he had just flipped them over, he honestly thought he would just give her a flirtatious smile, briefly explain the misunderstanding and unpin her and go on his way. That was before two things happened. 

 

One, before she had did some cool kick ass moves and flipped them over, and he was once again stuck between her and a hard place. No matter how much he tried to over power her, she wouldn't budge. He contemplated wrapping his legs around her to twist her, but he was sure that she was more agile and flexible than him. She was also really strong, not like anyone couldn't tell by the way her arms trapped him.

 

The second was,  _fuck man,_ she was fucking beautiful. All brown curls falling down till her waist and her face was perfectly proportional. She had high cheekbones and by the way she was pressed against him, she had a curvy body.  _Fuck, she was the most beautiful dame he had ever seen._

 

And it seemed like she knew it too, when she smirked and rake her eyes over his body. He felt strangely vulnerable, she was practically a stranger and someone who was really powerful. If she could kick a three time boxing champion like that, then what else could she do? She looked amazing and he was sure that by the end of the day, if he was allowed to get to know her, he would be eating out of her hand and begging her to just send a smile in his direction. 

 

Unfortunately or fortunately, when she whispered, "Let's have some fun, shall we?" he knew he was fucked. He would be putty on her hands soon enough.

 

After sometime of breathing down his neck--raising goosebumps and his dick a little higher--she probably thought it was enough torture for him, and let her hold on his arms go. She allowed him to sit back up and  _oh god, she was so beautiful--there were no fucking words._ She was just so--

 

"Mind explaining why a man who I have never seen, doing in this shit?" His eyebrows reached his hair as he heard her curse and couldn't help but appreciate her voice and confidence. When his brain caught up with the question, he flushed again.

 

_Only if Steve could see me now. He would be laughing his ass off._

 

"I--I, you gotta believe me, I wasn't here to try to break-in." When she raised her perfect eyebrow at him, his heart leaped and he frantically rambled, "I just usually, I mean kind of, come here. I sit in the canopy and I have done that since I was 17--I'm 20, now--and no one has taken residence here. I, it's not like I was eavesdropping, but I heard creaking and I thought I would bust some chops if someone was around trying to break in. And just a question, are you breaking in?" 

 

 _Oh my god, he was rambling._ This never happened. It only happened when he was nervous and the last time he had gotten nervous was when he was in high school and filled with acne--and was he burning up?--and this dame was going to be the end of him. 

 

When he peaked at her to see what the dame was thinking after contemplating his life choices, he was surprised to see her smiling gently at him. The next thing she was doing was holding up a hand to him and pulling him up. "You're cute when you blush." He flushed at her bluntness. She was so different from what he was used to. But instead of scaring him, it excited him and made him want to get to know this dame with strong calloused hands, the muscles of an assassin and the mouth of a sweet-talker. 

 

"Come in and sit. I'll get you some water. I'm not really good in cooking but I have some sandwiches that will probably be enough for you." He blinked in surprise at her hospitality and marveled at how easily she trusted people. But considering her kick ass skills, he figured it was considerable for her, as she was ready for anything. 

 

When he entered the cottage he had been entering for over half a decade, he gaped at how different it looked. The pale walls, where the paint had been falling off was now painted with gold and the dusty old curtains and carpets had been replaced with satin curtains and rich fur rugs. The couch with the springs coming off was gone, but in it's place was the same but fixed couch with painted pillows. There were two rooms and the house was big when Bucky used to come but now without the cobwebs and the opened curtains, it somehow looked bigger. 

 

He didn't know what to do with himself. He probably looked so out of place with his shaggy hair and half cut clothes. For the first time in his life, he was self-conscious and he didn't like it. 

 

"Just sit with me on the couch." The pretty dame came in with a water glass and some sandwiches. His stomach grumbled out loud, and he blushed again. She just laughed out loud, a full belly laugh and he was struck by how beautiful she was, all curls flinging in the air, her forehead crinkled and her eyes bright. 

 

He sat. And she sat next to him. 

 

"You mind telling me what's got a good-looking fella like you in such a bad mood?" Just as she asked the question, the temperature dropped. The atmosphere became too tense and Bucky stood up. She didn't even let out a squeak or a shriek, or act surprised. 

 

He liked her.  _He liked her a lot._

**Author's Note:**

> I know I should have been concentrating on my other Naruto fic, but like my brain was filled with this idea so I just had to write it. 
> 
> Please leave a comment or kudos!


End file.
